Injury expert Dr Rajpal Brar believes Aston Villa midfielder Philippe Coutinho may have suffered a Grade 2 tear in his hamstring.
The Lowdown: Coutinhoâs absence
Coutinho has been out of action at Villa Park since February with a muscular issue sustained in the 4-2 Premier League defeat to Arsenal. The Brazilian actually scored his first goal of the season in what was a rare start under Unai Emery but has missed the last four top-flight games as a result.
Journalist Pete OâRourke described the injury as a âblowâ for Emery and Coutinho, whereas Ben Dinnery said back in February that it could be April until we see Coutinho back in action, and another injury expert has shared his views on what the player may have done.
The Latest: Injury expertâs claim
Brar was talking to Villa News regarding Coutinho in a story shared in the last 48 hours. The expert said that âit sounds like a Grade 2 tearâ in his hamstring which would be a three-to-six-week timeline for a return, while also describing the risk of re-injury as a âmajor concernâ.
âItâs been reported as a muscular injury and based on the timeline of him being back in April, it sounds like a Grade 2 tear.
âThose are typically three to six weeks so the timeline [of his return after the break] does fit.
âRe-injury risk is always a major concern with hamstring injuries and especially if itâs a hamstring region heâs already injured before.â
The Verdict: Summer exit?
Coutinho hasnât exactly been a regular under Emery, and he was actually ruled out of the first two games under the Spaniard back in November with another hamstring issue.
The 30-year-old was linked with an exit from the Midlands in January, with speculation even suggesting that the player asked to leave the club. As we know, a move away failed to materialise, but following his struggles under Emery and injury issues, it wouldnât come as a shock if he did depart in the summer.
Coutinho is thought to be one of the highest earners at the club on ÂŁ125,000-a-week, so moving him on could help free up funds for new signings ahead of Emeryâs first full season in charge.
Chief executive Christian Purslow has admitted he is âexpecting an extremely busy summerâ at Villa Park, so itâll be interesting to see if Coutinho features in the remaining games of the season once he gets over his latest injury concern.
